Unforgettable Memories at Mount Kinabalu, Sabah

my malaysia has a place as beautiful as the mount kinabalu in sabah, one of the tallest mountains in south east asia. what a proud moment to have seen it with my own eyes. to breathe the same cool air and to mount the same road that leads to the summit.

note : I didn’t CLIMB mount kinabalu ok (semput!). I just walked a few steps at the first gate for hikers, and went up to the lookout point. all I could do was stand there speechless for a few minutes in awe – marveling at the great beauty of Allah’s creation.

rimbun hutan hijau, permandangan memukau,awan berbalam-balam, udara sejuk nyaman, kabus menebal bagai di kayangan, burung liar bersahutan – indahnya ciptaan Tuhan!

 

“love is like a mountain; hard to climb. but once you’re at the top, the view is beautiful.”~ enjoying the incredible sight with the one you love is priceless.

 

mount kinabalu. the surrounding is stunning. nampak macam middle earth pun ade!

 

I was with my in-laws on this trip to sabah, all planned by mr. khairul. we went to kota kinabalu like a week after raya and spent two nights – which was NOT enough. insyaAllah we’re coming back!

we drove from the city up to the base of mount kinabalu in about 2 hours more or less. there are no petrol stations along the mountain road so be sure to have enough fuel for the return journey too. about halfway there, we just switched off the air-cond and open the windows. the air was refreshingly cool!

before reaching the first gate – ‘pondok timpohon’ (the first station for mountain hikers), we stopped at this lookout point by the roadside. about 15 minutes before timpohon gate. it’s a spacious area as you can see from the family picture below. we were the only ones there so plenty of space to take pictures from many angles.

 

my sis-in-law tina with all her nieces and nephews : eldest khaleef with the ipad, kahfi crouching in front, wafa the only girl, kazim right next and baby khairy.

 

mr, khairul’s mom & dad with cucu kahfi & khairy

 

picture perfect with perfect scenery : my in-laws with the majestic mount kinabalu in the background

 

* * *

 

we continued our drive and soon arrived at the entry point; the first gate; the beginning of the summit trail to mount kinabalu – the ‘timpohon station’. ‘timpohon station’ at 1,866 metres (6,122 ft) is the first gate that hikers pass through before starting their ascend to mount kinabalu. this will take them to the next gate – ‘laban rata’ if I’m not mistaken.

the timpohon station or timpohon gate is located 5km away from the kinabalu park (where you can see some of the amazing species of orchids, ferns and pitcher plants – some of them not found anywhere else in the world. it is also home to the world’s largest flower; the rafflesia.

the air was lovely and cool – nice weather to be out walking. wish I had worn thicker blouse, but then again, I was just loving the cold breeze!

 

my youngest sis-in-law sofia goofing around at the entrance of the first station for the mountain hikers – pretending she’s about to climb the peak! haha siap getting a hug from eldest bro mr. khairul. aww sweet! climb safe, sofia! haha.

 

…and she’s back. after about 2 minutes. haha.

 

I read that it takes roughly about 2 days for the average person to climb mount kinabalu. also, one of mount kinabalu's main attractions is that climbers don't need any special climbing equipment; guess the terrain is such that makes it easier to hike simply by having good walking shoes, a head torch and a sturdy windproof jacket. the paths are marked, and as long as you stay on the marked track, you’ll be fine.

 

 

* * *

 

once you arrive the timpohon station, you could just walk up the stairs and be greeted with a large viewing platform right on the roof. we went straight up, and I was just speechless upon seeing the beauty surrounding me. we were closer to the mountain that at the lookout point by the roadside.

there was a wooden shelter with tables and a few chairs. I just took a chair and sat there; doing nothing but admire the amazing view. I was awe-struck.  

however, my sis-in-law teh and bro-in-law asrar got themselves ‘vistor’s pass’ each from the guard at the timpohon gate, and took few steps further. they went inside through the gate, and followed the ‘climbing trail’.

 

‘summit trail’

 

on the lower part of mount kinabalu, the trail is similar to what you see in those pictures. the last part of the climb at the top is just plain granite rock.

 

my sis-in-law teh and bro-in-law asrar went out of way and found this gorgeous little waterfall – ‘carson fall’, a popular photo-spot for visitors. wish we went along with you guys!

 

* * *

 

overall here’s my conclusion :

1) mr. khairul is inspired to climb mount kinabalu with his boys khaleef, kahfi and kazim one fine day. yes, without mak thank you very much!

2) I remember standing there high up looking down on the carpet of trees surrounding me, and just BREATHE. I took a deep breath, appreciating that such great green place exist amidst modernization

3) it’s not JUST about visiting THE mount kinabalu. it’s about surrounding yourself with Allah’s creation and praise Allah for it. getting lost in the beauty. be one with nature.

I hope I can return to this beautiful place! so long, mount kinabalu. till we meet again!

Sand, Wind & Desert Motocross @ Nazwa Dunes

one of the fun things to do when you’re in a desert is riding a bike across sand dunes according to mr. khairul. but if you ask my sons, the best thing is to just roll down the sand. hoho. yesterday we did just that.

we went to nazwa – which is a lovely vast desert area along the main highway of hatta, dubai. here the locals and expats try dune bashing in their 4wds, quad biking and desert motocross.

 

 

* * *

 

the main reason we’re out here in the desert was mr. khairul’s plan to do some desert motocross with his friend john, who is pretty much a pro already. this is a good thing because desert motocross is no easy feat, and you need a good guide who knows his way around the desert, and is really experienced handling a bike on uneven desert sand.

 

 

desert motocross is pretty much like motocross, only you’re riding across the desert; with steep sand dunes and unpredictable corners and slopes. and this sand is desert sand, which means extremely soft and smooth grains – one wrong step, and you might find yourself stuck, deep in sand.

motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. it was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the french moto with cross-country. ~wikipedia

 

mr. khairul getting ready with full suit, boots and bike

 

mr. khairul with his back against the camera, and john – ready to conquer the dunes! (picture credit : michaella el-daghma’s fb album – thanks!)

 

i don’t know much about bikes – wait, i don’t know ANYTHING about bikes – but i was told this is a KTM bike, the one that mr. khairul and john used during the desert motocross. it’s a cool, lean machine and mr. khairul looks GOOD on it. rowr. haha.

 

mr. khairul all geared up! (picture credit : michaella el-daghma’s fb album – thanks!)

 

john rode off with mr. khairul in tow while john’s wife lai shan drove us to the desert spot where we’ll be camping while waiting for the boys.

being in a 4X4 across the desert is an adventure by itself! how miss spunky lai shan did it i might never want to know! haha. i couldn’t do it – driving a huge car up and down uneven sand, she was a trooper!

the boys enjoyed the extremely bumpy ride so much, like being on rollercoasters!

 

* * *

 

it was extremely beautiful, and extremely fun, with awesomely fine weather to top it off. the desert was a vast beauty of nature, sand and more sand as far as the eyes can see. i can only utter subhanallah, in awe of Allah’s creation.

the boys?

 

..they climb up the slopes, pretending to be survivors of some crash, and now are lost in the desert haha. stepping on sand while climbing is NOT as easy as it sounds! letih weh!

 

..they enjoyed the vast view through binoculars,

 

..they lay down on the sand. rolling around, and making sand angels! rambut penuh pasir!

other activities also include burying themselves in sand, running up and down the sand, picking up a handful of sand and see the soft grains fall from between their fingers and termakan pasir!

 

* * *

 

setting up camp for the night (picture credit : lai shan – thanks!)

 

apart from john and wife lai shan, we actually joined ‘the chapter dubai’, for this desert camping trip. they set up camp for the night, but john, lai shan, mr. khairul and i left the place after the boys were done with their desert motocross.

‘the chapter dubai’ is a group of motorcycle enthusiast (all the guys own harley davidsons), headed by the charming mr. marwan who warmly welcomed us into their circle. as someone who is new to riding harley davidson, mr. khairul welcomed their friendship to share experiences and gain knowledge, especially the tricks and turns of a harley!

 

(picture credit : lai shan - thanks!)

 

mr. khairul would’ve been fine about camping overnight at a desert, with nothing but sand and wind (since he’s a certified king’s scout) but i’m not much of an outdoor person! especially with such young kids, thanks but no thanks! huhu.

takpe honey, when they’re older you pegi camping dengan diorang je lah!

 

* * *

 

one of the cars got stuck in sand

 

* * *

..i found friendship in the middle of the desert!

 

with aussie nadine, and our feisty 4x4 ‘driver’ lai shan

 

ever so glad to hear manglish in the middle of dubai ~ with these lovely amoi; paige and lai shan

 

* * *

 

when there’s a campsite, there’s camp fire! the boys were so engrossed as they stared at the fire after an extremely tiring rolling around the desert.

 

the other guys brought vegetarian dishes which include a delicious veggie briyani while i brought nasi lemak! anyone for a little taste of malaysian food? i was more than glad to assemble the cucumber, anchovies, sambal and the works for the arab gentleman mr. marwan.

glad the malaysian girls enjoyed my nasi lemak – that’s more than i need! appreciate the love! hihi.

 

* * *

mr. khairul with sifu john

 

to john and wife lai shan, thanks for including us in this little adventure. mr. khairul thoroughly enjoyed the extreme desert motocross, though he complained of aches and bruises! it was indeed a rough tough sport, and NOT for those lacking in stamina and upper body strength!

the boys had a fantabulous time rolling around the desert, and we would definitely want to do this again. as long as no overnight camping ok! haha.

Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi

when we talk about ‘leaning tower’, we immediately think of leaning tower of pisa in italy. it’s popular simply because it leans. and of course because it’s really ancient. 1200 year old of awe and wonder.

fast forward in 2011, a new leaning building wants to claim the title ‘world’s furthest leaning man-made tower’, and this has been certified by the guinness world records. imagine, pisa tower only leans by 4 degrees, but this building leans by 18 degrees!

 

it’s called the ‘capital gate’, the leaning tower of abu dhabi.

 

me, abah & khaleef ~ capital gate, abu dhabi is behind us

 

we were in abu dhabi yesterday to take abah to the gleaming white sheikh zayed mosque, and jalan-jalan when i thought of taking a detour and stop by to see this leaning building. click here to read about my first experience going to one of the largest mosques in the world, the sheikh zayed mosque, abu dhabi.

* * *

‘capital gate’, owned and developed by ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company), is 160-metre, has 35-storey, and leans 4 times as far as the famous leaning tower of pisa.

 

capital gate, abu dhabi ~ leaning tower of pisa, italy

 

where?

the capital gate abu dhabi is close to sheikh zayed mosque (the white marble mosque) and really stands out because of its unique posture. there are also a few embassy buildings nearby. in fact, after taking these shots, we were stopped by a policeman who wanted to confirm that we weren’t taking pictures of the embassy buildings.

my take?

it’s graceful, and sleek alright – but i can’t help noticing that its outer skeleton looks a lot like gleaming snake skin under the sunlight! and with the inclined posture of the building – lagi lah nampak macam ular melingkar!

i discovered through further reading on the net that this is due to the unique feature of capital gate, that has 728 custom-made diamond-shaped glazing panels all over the building. to achieve the structure’s curving shape, each pane of glass is different and each will be fitted at a slightly different angle.

 

 

* * *

the leaning tower of capital gate, is an addition to many other exquisite landmarks in abu dhabi which includes the amoebic-shaped ferrari world, the dolphin-inspired yas hotel and the circular aldar building that looks like a gigantic blue 50 cents!

what’s next for abu dhabi?

Airport Baru Dubai : Terbesar di Dunia

dubai ade bangunan tertinggi di dunia. hotel tertinggi di dunia. hotel termahal di dunia. pulau buatan manusia terbesar di dunia. pusat membeli-belah terbesar di dunia. fountain muzik tertinggi di dunia. aquarium terbesar di dunia.

sekarang, dah buat lapangan terbang terbesar di dunia pulak!


dubai world central - al-maktoum international airport menerima penerbangan pertama dua hari lepas, dari hong kong. tapi belum betul-betul beroperasi lagi. soon.

kononnya bakal menampung 160 juta penumpang (klia 35 juta sahaja - menurut wikipedia)!

yang tengah-tengah berdiri sebelah awek tu rashid al-maktoum, ruler of dubai

tapi, korang tau tak dubai memang dah ade lapangan terbang antarabangsa. selama ni kitorang landing kat situ je dari malaysia naik emirates airline.

jarak antara kedua lapangan terbang ni lebih kurang sejam je. jadi, yang aku tak paham, kenapa nak buat airport yang serba besar dan mahal ni, padehal dah ade airport yang serba besar dan mahal jugak!

dubai international airport pun bukan ke baru je tambah terminal 3. baru je renovate. lagipun, lapangan antarabangsa dubai sudahpun jadi yang terbesar di middle east - tapi masih nak buat lapangan terbang antarabangsa al-maktoum yang lagi besar ni ye? tak cukup kot setakat middle east je, nak la yang terbesar di dunia!

wah. banyak duit ye, dubai.

ini sekadar ilustrasi. tapi klia pastinya jauh lebih cantik kan?

hmm, kitorang balik malaysia nanti rase-rasenye naik ikut al-maktoum airport ni tak? hihi. nak baca berita selanjutnya pasal airport baru ni, sila klik sini.

Mr. Khairul in Amman, Jordan

hey it's about mr. khairul's travels again. i didn't want my blog to start sounding like a totally travel-blog, that's why ade iklan sikit before i continue the stories from his damascus trip, to amman, jordan.

seatbelts buckled? let's go to amman, jordan with mr. khairul!

* * *

how wonderful!

i can't believe it. it's the cave mentioned in the quranic surah al-kahfi - incidentally the surah which inspired my 2nd boy's name - kahfi.

gua yang disebut dalam surah al-Kahfi

mr. khairul said he was not allowed to take pictures of the insides of the cave, but described it to be not too big, with low ceiling, and there are a few tombs which is said to contain the bones of the ashabul kahfi!

Allah knows best what happened!

click here to read my take on the story behind picking the name kahfi, as well as the many benefits of reciting the surah.

also, here's an entry by my abu dhabi bloggirl azma, during her trip to jordan. a more in-depth writing on the story of ashabul kahfi or 'youths of the cave'. click here.

* * *

mr. khairul claimed that he had always dreamed of going to the 'dead sea' since he was 7, reading all those encyclopedia and national geography mags.

and last week he got to live that dream!

the dead sea, and its surrounding. ade pool kat atas for those (like kids) yang taknak mandi laut

wow. the dead sea. one of the most spectacular sites in the whole world, it's also the lowest point on earth, and has the world's richest source of natural salts.

the content of salts and minerals are so extremely high, that not a single creature can survive underwater - hence the name - dead sea. ironically, the sea-water is well-known to have therapeutic qualities. berendam dalam laut mati, boleh jadi penawar sakit-sakit kulit!

it can also ease pains from arthritis, rheumatism, psoriasis, eczema, headache and foot-ache, while softening the skin! mr. khairul did bring home bath salts, a few skin-care product made from the dead-sea minerals and even a 'dead sea body mud'!

mr. khairul dengan macam-macam gaya terapung

can you see the 'orang minyak' in the picture? yeap. that's mr. khairul all covered in dead sea body mud! he lathered it all over his body, left it to set for a few minutes, and then dipped himself in the dead sea to rinse it away.

the best part of all of course - you can never sink in the dead sea. you float, and float, and float - regardless being over 80kg! (ops, honey!) lawak tengok gamba dia terapung sambil baca paper!

mr. khairul said, the water feels 'very oily' and agak pedih jugak kalo berendam lama sgt. there's even a signage warning people to take care of eyes and mouth from the very salty water.

he definitely wanna go again!

* * *

i only know petra from 'the indiana jones and the last crusade' movie. how ignorant i was! aside from being one of unesco's great historical site, it's in fact a vast 'city' of the nabataean race - arab people who settled in jordan more than 2000 years ago!

that's why i was so amazed when mr. khairul told me he went here!

mr. khairul taking pictures in front of 'the treasury'

the 'city' is made of giant red mountains where buildings, rooms, and even water system is carved along the city right at the bottom of the rock mountains. the sight of these 'buildings' carved right into the walls are breathtaking.

mr. khairul said you have got to see it for yourself to be amazed by the outstanding ancient architecture!

'the treasury' is the part featured in the indiana jones movie. it's extremely gorgeous, more than words can say. all you can imagine is how amazingly intricate the carvings upon the orangey-dusty rocks. it's huge, high up and imposing.

it's made to be a tomb for a great nabataean king, but was re-named 'the treasury' when some people believed there are treasure hidden somewhere in the statues.

the entrance to 'kota petra' - called the 'siq'

the 'entrance' to the city is through the 'siq', a narrow gorge - jalan yang sempit in between high cliffs that soared up high. you can walk, or like mr. khairul, you can take the donkey down to the 'treasury' - the first part of the whole 'city'.

bayangkan kita ni semut yang tengah jalan dalam parit. macam tu lah!

'petra' is really, really luas. this 'treasury' part is just a very small bit of the whole petra city. some say it takes 5 days to really go all around and see everything. so i told mr. khairul, bila budak-budak ni dah besar, we go duorang je honeymoon to jordan and just backpack across 'petra'. god willing!

* * *

wadi rum is a 'valley cut into the sandstone and granite rocks'. it's all desert sand, rocky hills as far as the eyes can see. a desert area so breathtaking - beautiful shapely rock mountains across the endless sand.

it has been the setting for movies such as 'lawrence of arabia', 'red planet' and even the latest 'transformer' movie!

the bedouin camp

mr. khairul was so lucky as he got a chance to experience desert life of the *bedouin culture. he actually stopped at one campsite, where a bedouin man lives with his 2nd wife (who just gave birth!) and his other 2 kids!

*the bedouin,(from the arabic badawī (بدوي), pl. badū), are a predominantly desert-dwelling arab ethnic group (previously nomadic).

~ wikipedia

tak boleh imaginelah baru beranak, tengah pantang tu duk kat dalam khemah tengah padang pasir!

there he was given warm welcome, served traditional bedouin tea made from weird looking herbs and leaves and even tried the arab bread made from scratch and 'baked' right inside the camp.

seronok betul tengok!


they spent the late evenings there, and caught the sunset. it fell behind the rocky hills, painting the sky a pinkish-peach. absolutely gorgeous. watching the sun sets against the horizon of a vast endless sea of sand - what could be more glorious?

* * *

mr. khairul also visited this waterfall in a place called ma'in. the interesting bit was - it's a super-hot waterfall. the place is actually a hot springs!

the HOT waterfall!

"the huge waterfall, heated by uderground lava fissures, fills many baths below. underneath the waterfall is a cavern where water trickels out of a hole. this water is HOT."

~ googled info

yes, there's actually a space behind the waterfall, where you can hang out just like when you lepak at a sauna. with steams coming out from the hot waterfall, you'd feel fresh and all-steamed up once you go out!

i'm not a fan of hot springs myself. yang kat al-ain pun tak berminat nak rendamkan kaki - inikan pulak air terjun panas!

* * *

like damascus, i also see jordan as having its own unique characteristics - especially looking at all the square little houses that enveloped the '7 jabel' - or 7 hills that surround amman, jordan.

i mean really, just look at the picture below - the one where mr. khairul stood in front of the thousand-year old 'roman theater'. look at the little square houses behind it. you don't see that in dubai!

mr. khairul took pictures with ziyad, his designated driver in jordan

these square houses were even built on steep slopes and at the edge of hills! mr. khairul said, even as you pass by a rocky hill across the highway, you might catch a door and window or two - carved out from the rocks. and people actually live there.

amazing.

* * *

soon, mr. khairul will make his second trip to these neighbouring countries again - starting from beirut, lebanon, then back to damascus, syria, and finally amman, jordan once more.

sigh. bring back goodies for me and the boys ya? on the other hand, forget the goodies. just come home safe!

p/s: just kidding about the no-goodies. i want a big box of ferrero rocher at the very least!